Taylor, the mother of two slain sons, said dealing with the department was an exercise in frustration when she tried to get information.

She said she called one former Flint police chief 93 times and never got a call back from him.

"Not one," said Taylor, adding the experience made her feel like she was the mother of statistics.

The reforms come in the wake of an October announcement that Flint was one of eight departments nationwide selected by the International Association of Chiefs of Police to enhance victims assistance programs.

Hagler said his department has spent five months meeting with community groups and gathering input for ways to improve services.

One common thread? The department needs to do a better job of explaining to people how the criminal justice system operates.

"The public wants to see more interaction," Hagler said.

The department hopes the approach pays off with increased community trust of officers from the community.

Other ideas under consideration involve rotating police officers through the detective bureau so that patrol officers have a better understanding about information needed to solve crimes.

Hagler was to announce the plan this morning at the University of Michigan-Flint.